Stolen art and stolen kisses
by Storywriter55
Summary: Neal goes undercover and Sara must fend for herself. This story is part of the 'Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure' series which includes 'Coloring outside the lines' and 'Alfredo sauce and bowling balls' DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING
1. Chapter 1

**Stolen art and stolen kisses**

**Chapter 1**

This is a continuation of the 'Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure' series which includes 'Coloring outside the lines' and 'Alfredo sauce and bowling balls'. Neal goes undercover and leaves Sara to fend for herself. Hope you enjoy!

(Week 13)

The Moretti case fell into their lap in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon.

Neal and Peter had just returned from lunch at a local eatery, Travelo, a bistro type Italian place a couple of blocks from the Bureau. Picking a place for lunch was always complicated for the pair what with Peter's propensity for hot dog stands and Neal's particular taste for fine cuisine. This place seemed to fit the bill for both of them. Peter settled in front of a chicken and pesto sandwich with salad and Neal had opted for the linguine with clam sauce.

'How's Sara's doing?' asked Peter. It had only been six weeks since Sara had been released from the hospital and he hadn't seen her since the weekend before last.

'Great' said Neal. 'The cast came off last week so she's still building strength in her arm but her ribs are healing well.'

The last few weeks had been difficult for Neal and Sara as she muddled through her first three months of pregnancy. She had had a rough time of it, not having much of an appetite and severe morning sickness which was exacerbated by the injury to her ribs. But she had begun to eat a bit more over the last two weeks and she had returned to work which greatly helped with her mental health.

'What about emotionally' added Peter, 'how is she recuperating from the attack?'

'Well, the fact that we arrested the asshole seemed to help a lot' answered Neal 'and I was glad I could convince her to stay at my place while she got on her feet – that gave me a chance to keep an eye on her when she was having a tough time of it. You know, the baby has really helped a lot too, gives her a focus.'

Once you got Neal talking about the baby, you couldn't stop him. He read everything he could about pregnancy, giving Sara a rundown of what was happening inside her body every night before they fell asleep. It had become like doing research for a con – intense and fascinating - he was thoroughly enjoying every day of Sara's pregnancy.

'Would you believe she's already starting her second trimester? The baby has fingerprints, Peter, can you believe that?'

'Well, hopefully, those fingerprints won't find themselves in our data base like yours did' Peter quipped.

'Funny' said Neal 'I saw how you threw that in... the baby is about the size of a peach and tiny bones are beginning to form in his arms and legs. The intestines...'

Peter cut him off 'Neal, as much as I want to support you in this, there is such a thing as too much information. Please, stop now or I won't be able to finish this sandwich.'

'Well, this is your godson or goddaughter, Peter – you could show a little more interest. Anyway', added Neal, 'the really great news is that the chances of a miscarriage are a lot lower at this point so I'm hoping we're out of the woods.'

'Are all expectant fathers as annoying as you?' asked Peter. 'I have never seen someone so invested in a pregnancy before.'

''Cause you know so many guys who've had babies' chimed in Neal

'Nooo, but I'm sure not all guys spend their free time on pregnancy websites researching the minuscule details of the changes to their partner's body. Eat up, it's time to get back'

They walked back to the office chatting, making plans to get together on the weekend for a meal and a movie as long as Neal promised to ease up on the details of the development of the baby's intestines. Neal grudgingly agreed.

Hughes was waiting for Peter when they returned and gave him the overused two finger point when they arrived in the bullpen.

'Looks like something's brewing' he said under his breath as he left Neal at his desk and headed up the stairs.

Neal went back to the very boring task he had set aside before lunch, reading dead files for any new ideas on cracking the cases. Neal was terrific at spotting the small details that had gone undetected by the Harvard crew who had initially investigated the cases. He would always come up with an angle that no one had thought of – thank God for his devious mind and sharp intellect.

Within twenty minutes, Peter was calling the whole team up to the conference room. Alright! thought Neal, something really is brewing as he headed up the stairs, two steps at a time. There was always something exciting about getting a new case, the anticipation of hearing the details, processing the information and looking for an angle to propose that could break the case wide open. Of course, Neal was not a linear thinker so he enjoyed throwing out novel and unusual ways of approaching the case and he loved putting himself in the place of the thieves, imagining how they were thinking and plotting. It was a way of living vicariously through others without having to do the jail time and that suited Neal just fine.

'Informants tell us that key members of the Moretti family have moved into town. They are suspected in that heist at the Chicago Museum of Modern Art two weeks ago.'

'Yeah, I hear a whole collection of Argentinean art was stolen' said Neal - of course, at any given time Neal was up on all art thefts anywhere in the world.

Peter raised an eyebrow. 'That's right, the whole collection was taken and word on the street is that they are moving it here to New York to fence. Now you know the Moretti clan is a large syndicate operation which deals mostly in drugs and guns so art is unusual for them but they stand to make a bundle with this loot. Any thoughts?'

Peter was greeted by a bunch of blank faces – it usually took a while for his team to digest the information and come up with tactics and strategies. As usual, this was not the case with Neal whose hand flew up almost immediately – impulsive and quick.

'I think a case like this calls for an undercover operation.' he said, 'Infiltrating the clan is the way to go. They're going to be looking for fences to move this stuff and if I were them I would want to diversify and not go to through just one guy. Spread the information, you know... less chance of the trail leading to them from one source who knows too much. And they usually work out of Chicago so they're going to be looking for some local expertise.'

Diana piped up 'I agree with Neal, they probably don't know New York they way they do Chicago. Maybe Mozzie can put the word out that Neal has the expertise they need. We could get him in on the ground floor'.

'Are you suggesting we resurrect one of your past aliases for this one?' Peter asked Neal, 'Maybe Steve Tabernacle – he had quite a reputation.'

'I think Steve would be a good choice' added Neal 'he could make contact and offer to help them through the local landscape, put them in touch with local fences – you know kind of like a middle man.'

'Any other thoughts?' asked Peter. 'We have to move fast people if we want to infiltrate before they dump everything. I'll run this by Hughes, people, stand by.'

He headed over to the boss's office and left the group in his wake wondering what the hell hit them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Stolen art, stolen kisses**

**Chapter 2**

Neal: 'How's your day going?'

Sara: 'Not bad at all, recovered the Otero sculpture today'

Neal: 'Great, hope you didn't get your hands dirty, Repo'

Sara: 'Don't worry – I'm staying safe (and bored)'

Neal: 'Did you know that the baby has fingerprints?'

Sara: 'Save it for tonight, poppa!'

Neal: 'Staying in tonight?'

Sara: 'You cooking?'

Neal: 'Can do – see you around 6'

Sara: 'xx'

Neal: 'Love you'

Neal looked up from his phone to see Peter coming towards him.

'Looks like Hughes likes your idea. I just need a day or so to make sure your alias is solid. We don't want to take any chances with this one, Neal. These guys are ruthless – not our usual white collar crowd.'

'Well, Steve has a pretty solid reputation' said Neal

'Are you sure you're up for this. It could take a few days and I don't know how aggressive they are going to be at checking you out. You might have to be cut off from us, from Sara...'

'We'll talk it over tonight but knowing Sara, she'll want me to do my job. If I'm out of the picture for a couple of days, could I count on you and Elizabeth to keep an eye on her – without her knowing, of course? She wouldn't be happy to know that I'm asking.'

'That's no problem, but Neal, think this through carefully. If you don't feel comfortable with this undercover assignment, I'll just create an alias for one of our agents.'

'That'll take a lot longer, Peter. And they're already in town, ready to move. I think Steve will have a lot more credibility than some fabricated 'new' middle man.'

'Alright, well, we'll get started on the back up story and if you still want to go ahead with it, we'll get started tomorrow'

'I'll get Moz to put the word out about Steve and his expertise in lining up dependable fences and hopefully the word will get to them.'

'Have a good night and say hi to Sara'

'Same to you and don't forget to remind Elizabeth that we are getting together Saturday night – our place. That's if this is all done.'

'Well, let's hope this is a quick in and out job. The longer you're undercover, the more dangerous is becomes. See you tomorrow!' said Peter as he headed for the elevator.

Neal began his trek home, stopping at the local market to pick up fresh fish and the makings for a rice salad. Trying to get Sara to eat was always a challenge. He knew the importance of getting her to eat enough protein at this point in her pregnancy and like a parent, trying to sneak nutritious food to his kids, he was always trying to be creative and keep her interested in the meals he prepared.

He arrived home before Sara which was great; it would give him time to get started on dinner. She hadn't been back at work long and when she got home, she was usually tired and sometimes would lie down for an hour before dinner.

Right on cue, Sara arrived and dropped her bag at the door before moving towards Neal who was in the kitchenette. He watched her coming towards him and he smiled thinking how beautiful she looked. She was petite so her belly was beginning to protrude slightly when she wasn't watching her posture and since she was still wearing her regular clothes, her dress clung to her tiny baby bump making her look all the more beautiful.

'Hi sweetie' she said, smiling and giving him a quick kiss.

'Hey yourself!' answered Neal 'do you know the baby is the size of a peach?'

'Really? Wow, seems just yesterday, he was the size of a walnut. Neal, you have to stop with this daily obsession.'

'What? Would you rather I wasn't interested in our little one, Mommy?'

At that, she looked at him and she suddenly started to well up. Sara, serious, no nonsense Sara, had recently taken to crying at the most inopportune times and she could not control her outbursts if her life depended on it. It was usually Neal who brought out these emotions in her; the sight of him so invested in this baby and their relationship. She had even started crying when they had made love the other night and although she was embarrassed, she could not control herself. Poor Neal, trying to deal with a hysterical woman right in the middle of great sex – it had kind of ruined the moment but Neal had been a good sport trying to make her laugh with obscene gestures and a joke about the most common pregnancy craving (answer: for men to be the ones who get pregnant). She had laughed through the tears and had curled up in his arms thinking about how happy she was that they had made the decision to have this baby. The tears had returned immediately...

Neal put dinner on the table and they ate and shared the events of the day as well as plans for the weekend. They had taken to window shopping for baby things and Neal loved walking around the stores and looking at toys, furniture and strangely enough, baby clothes that he would hold up while inevitably mouthing 'So cute!'

After dinner, they sat on the couch to savor a cup of tea and Neal began to tell her about the Moretti case.

'I heard about that heist' said Sara 'didn't they take a whole collection?'

'Yeah, paintings and some sculptures as well'

'I didn't hear that the mob was involved though'

'Well, not directly' added Neal 'they had front men doing the dirty work but the Morettis are the ones who are going to make the big score when they start fencing this stuff.'

'But they're in Chicago aren't they?' she asked

'They're moving into New York to fence the stuff' he answered taking a sip of tea.

'So you guys are involved?'

'Yeah, we're looking at an undercover operation. I suggested resurrecting my Steve Tabernacle alias' said Neal.

'Ah yes, the boyfriend who was blackmailing me with naughty pictures' she recalled. 

'Well, he has a reputation and the Bureau can make it even more solid. The issue is it might take a few days and I'll be undercover. I imagine I could still live here but all my ties to the Bureau and to you would have to be severed for the duration. If they decide to investigate or just follow me, I don't want them finding out Steve has a pregnant girlfriend. That could get ugly fast; I want you and the baby far away from this'

'So I would have to go back to my place?' she asked.

'Temporarily, would that be a problem?'

'Of course not. God, I haven't been there in weeks. I think I've only slept there once since I got out of the hospital' she commented.

'Twice' Neal corrected 'not that I'm counting. Anyway, what do you think – I'm not doing this if you don't feel comfortable about it.'

'Well, I do worry about you but if you're up for it, don't let me stop you. It'll do me good to go to my apartment. I need to sort out a few things anyway – pick up mail, pay some bills. Do you think this will last long?'

'I'm hoping if I gain their trust quickly and they start fencing stuff, it won't be more than a couple of days' said Neal.

'No contact at all?' she asked looking suddenly pensive.

'Unless the Bureau can set me up with a burner phone or something but we are talking about a very sophisticated operation here, and dangerous so that may not be possible. I can talk to Peter about it. So, what do you think? Do you think you and Boo-boo can get along without me for a couple of days?'

'I wish you wouldn't call him Boo-boo. What if it's a girl? What kind of name is Boo-boo for a girl?'

'A cute name from her loving daddy?' Neal ventured.

She smiled but tears were also in her eyes.

'Do you feel safe doing this, Neal?' she asked.

'This is my job, Sara, and I have the best team backing me up so yeah, I feel safe and I promise to be careful. I have so much more to come home to now.'

She kissed him ever so softly looking into his beautiful eyes, beautiful because they were full of love for her and Boo-boo.

'Then I'm right behind you but promise me you will not take any unnecessary risks.'

'Promise' he said in response holding her to him and kissing the top of her head. 'You in the mood for an early night?' he asked with just a touch of mischief in his eyes.

'I think that sounds like fun on one condition' she countered. 'No more pregnancy jokes.'

'Deal' answered Neal.


	3. Chapter 3

**Stolen art and stolen kisses**

**Chapter 3**

Thursday morning brought the promise of a sunny day although it was decidedly chilly. This was November in New York and although there was no snow on the ground, the days were getting shorter and cooler.

When Neal arrived at the office, there seemed to be a lot of activity and he headed straight up to Peter's office, taking the time to drop his coat and hat off at his desk. Peter was on the phone but motioned him to come in and Diana came up behind him just as he was entering the office.

'Is this really happening?' asked Diana 'you really going undercover on this Moretti case?'

'If that's still the plan, I'm in' answered Neal.

'We've been working on your alias – making sure it's airtight and doesn't have any holes. We have to figure out how to keep in touch. It's going to be difficult to get information from you if they decide to watch you every second of every day. Forget the anklet and the tracker. They have a lot at stake here, we're talking about sixty million dollars worth of art – that'll buy a lot of drugs and weapons.'

Peter joined the conversation: 'Hey Neal, how are you feeling about this, this morning?'

'I'm in' he said 'Sara's ok with it. She's going to stay at her place for a few days 'till this is over'.

'Neal, I can't stress enough how careful we're going to have to be on this case. If these guys find out you're a plant, you're as good as dead.'

'The good news is that Mozzie has been putting the word out that if the Morettis need a middle man – a guide to the fences, so to speak – he has the man for the job. We'll see if they bite.'

'Give us another hour - we need to make sure your Steve Tabernacle alias is solid because you know they're going to be digging.' Peter said. 'We've been working on a strategy to get information back and forth. I figure you can stay at your place now that Sara's out of the way but knowing how they operate, it's for sure they will be bugging your apartment.'

'Luckily, I have Mozzie the human bug detector' said Neal 'but if I start sweeping every day, won't that draw suspicion if we keep flushing their bugs?'

'Yeah, I thought of that' replied Peter 'you're gonna have to be 100% Steve Tabernacle during this operation. But a good-looking guy like Steve must have a girlfriend, right? Steve, meet Rachel, your main squeeze'. He looked over at Diana.

'I like it!' said Neal 'how does that work if my place is bugged?'

'Well, if you should meet up with your girlfriend every couple of days in a hotel room, they wouldn't be able to listen in on your conversations. So Diana will be your only contact – you can fill her in when you meet up to have illicit sex with her.'

'Alright! When does this operation start?' asked Neal with a twinkle in his eye.

'As soon as they contact you. Is Sara out of your place?' he asked as he unlocked Neal's anklet.

'Yeah, we moved any trace of her out of the apartment. I don't want them to know anything about her. This is not going to be easy for Sara, Peter.'

'I hear you. I'm already on it. Elizabeth is meeting her for lunch and we'll make sure, between El and I that we talk to her every day.'

'Alright then, I guess this is where my ties with the Bureau are severed, at least for now. I'll head on home and hope that a call will come and sooner than later.'

'No more contact, Neal. Not with me, not with Sara, not with anyone from the Bureau. Wait for Diana, er Rachel, to call you and let you know where to meet her. She'll change hotels each time. I think we should aim for a daily meet whenever possible.'

'Alright, I guess Steve will be getting laid more often than I do'

'Eww, don't share, Neal!' Peter turned serious: 'Be careful buddy, as soon as they are ready to start moving the stuff, we'll move in and we can put this one to bed. We'll set up a meet tonight with Diana so we know where you're at. Neal, please take care and don't do anything crazy. Nothing is more important than your safety!'

'No worries there, Peter. I've got Sara and Boo-boo to come home to, I'm not taking any chances.'

'Boo-boo?' repeated Peter with a quizzical smile.

Neal headed to his apartment and luckily, by lunch, he had gotten a cryptic call asking him to meet with some guy at an office in a decrepit part of the Bronx at 3:00. He was met by some guy in a suit with two bodyguards. He turned out to be Mario Moretti, one of the members of the younger generation of the clan. He had heard that Steve might be able to set them up with a few fences and he insinuated that the family wanted to move some goods but he didn't specify what they were. Neal didn't want to push it so he went with the flow and agreed to meet with Mario the next day with some thoughts on appropriate fences. In the meantime, Mario asked him to pick something up for him at a Manhattan post office box and to bring the goods to the meet the next day.

Neal agreed to the arrangement and left shortly to return to his place which he was reasonably sure had been visited during his absence. Peter had been right. They were bugging his place so he couldn't make any calls and he knew that they could be asking any time to check his cell phone so he couldn't afford to have them see any history of calls or texts. Even by erasing them, he couldn't be sure they wouldn't be traced somehow. These guys had a long reach.

He made himself dinner, all the while wondering if Sara was remembering to eat properly and wishing she would walk through the door. He set out at about 8:00 to his meet with Diana. She had called to tell Steve she missed him and wanted to spend time with him at a downtown hotel.

Neal was no stranger to being tailed and he spotted the guy following him immediately when he left Riverside Drive. He took a cab to the Roosevelt to join Diana and spent about two hours filling her in - actually that took about ten minutes, not much to report – and spent the rest of the time lazing around chatting and watching a couple of sitcoms on TV at which point he felt that Steve's itch had been sufficiently scratched and he headed back to his place. Just before leaving, he reminded Diana to be careful and handed her a letter destined for Sara and Diana agreed to find a way to get it to her somehow. They said their goodnights and Diana said she would call the next day with a new meeting place to discourage any possibility of bugs. In case he was asked, the cover was that she worked for a travel magazine and visited various hotels to assess the quality of the venues.

Once at home, Neal lay in bed and thought again of Sara. Was she getting enough sleep? How was she coping with work? Did she need a foot rub tonight? He fell asleep anxious for this case to wrap up so he could leave Steve's life and go back to Neal's.

WCWCWCWCWCWC

Sara arrived at her apartment, tired and restless. She did not feel like making dinner but she could hear Neal, in the back of her mind harping on about protein so she pulled out some eggs and cheese and made herself an omelet. She was exhausted and it didn't help that she was worried about Neal. She hated not knowing. At least, Diana had seen him last night and Elizabeth had been able to report that he looked good but that the operation was moving slow as the Morettis were taking their time to fence the stuff and wanted to make sure Neal was legit (or illegit depending on how you looked at it) enough for them to trust him with the details of the stolen art.

She picked up the envelope Elizabeth had handed her at lunch and re-read the letter Neal had left for her. It was so strange not to be able to pick up the phone and call him or send him a quick text to let him know that she was thinking of him.

_Dear Sara and Boo-boo,_

_I'm fine. Please, don't worry about me. It's going to take awhile for these jerks to trust me. I think of you every minute and I can't wait until we're back together – all three of us. Living in the apartment without you is horrible. I came home tonight and couldn't help looking around for you, I thought I could hear you laughing as I was making dinner. I ate and sat around trying to keep my mind occupied; going through the events of the day and making sure I've covered myself. They have me doing odd jobs for them until they trust me with finding the fences to move their loot._

_Are you ok? Are you eating enough protein? Don't forget that's the most important part of your diet right now. Week 14 soon – according to my research, you're not going to need to pee quite as much (hope that applies, I know how much you hate getting up in the night to pee) Also, your boobs are continuing to get bigger (and I'm not there to enjoy them!) and best of all, get this: the baby can squint, frown, grimace and pee AND possibly suck his thumb. How amazing is that? He's about 3 and ½ inches long – the size of a lemon. So we've gone from walnut to peach to lemon (wow, a lot of food analogy). Anyway, I have to go meet Diana and then I'll go to bed alone and think of you lying next to me with your two heartbeats. I'm meeting the boss early tomorrow. Hopefully, this is the day he will ask me to set up the first fence._

_I wish we could talk by phone but I'm afraid everything's been bugged. You can get a message to me through Peter and Diana and will get it to me when we meet up for our clandestine affair tomorrow._

_I love you Sara and I love you Boo-boo!_

_Neal_

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Stolen art and stolen kisses**

**Chapter 4**

Sara pulled her legs up onto the couch and got busy writing. She had an hour to get a note to Neal if she wanted him to get it tonight. This was her second day without him and she was already missing him. She was dog tired and she realized that Neal had a way of lifting her up after her day at work and that she counted on him to keep her going when things were tough. She had to be strong for him, for the baby and she had to take good care of herself if she wanted to continue to be strong. She folded the note, put it in an envelope and called a cab to take her over to Peter and Elizabeth's.

Across town, Neal had finished up his first mission for the Moretti clan, picking up some mysterious package from a post office box and meeting with Mario Moretti. He sincerely hoped that this would show good faith on his part and open the door to the real job he was there to do: help them fence the first of the stolen items from the Chicago Museum of Modern Art theft.

Moretti showed up, once again in the company of two thugs, and was waiting for Neal when he arrived with the envelope.

'Here you go' Neal said, handing over the package, 'as requested.'

'Good job' said Mario 'so you can take orders, that's a start.'

'Like I said, if I get my cut, I can get you the manpower to move whatever it is you need to fence. I've already been in touch with a couple of my contacts today. It would help if I knew what type of merchandise you're looking to move. Fences each have their contacts and their specialties.'

'Don't be so eager, Tabernacle. We want to make sure you can be trusted. So I see you have a fancy girlfriend, uptown' he added.

'What, you've been following me?' asked Neal feigning surprise.

'We like to know who we're doing business with before we get in too deep. I do have an item to fence if you can get me someone to move it.'

He pulled out a handkerchief and opened it in front of Neal. Inside were a dozen or so gold pieces – certainly not items from the Chicago theft.

'Sure, I can find someone to move those for you' said Neal. 'Just give me a few hours and I'll set it up'

'You do well with this and maybe we can graduate to some more interesting items' said Morreti. 'Meet me back here tomorrow morning at 10:00, with your fence and we'll take it from there'

Neal started back home and once there, he made a show of calling a couple of his contacts so that he could be heard by the Morettis through the bug they had planted in his apartment. Diana called shortly after.

'Rachel' Neal said 'How are you sweet thing? Tonight, again? Why not, where are you at baby? Ok, see you in an hour.'

He took the time to change and have a quick bite and was soon out the door on his way to meet Diana, this time at the Westin. He spotted the same guy following him and made no move to lose him. He just slowly made his way to the hotel and up to the suite Diana had reserved on the 9th floor.

'Hi, handsome' she said when he walked in. 'Where's your tail?'

'I left him in the lobby' he said 'I thought three's a crowd... So are you getting tired of moving around from hotel to hotel?'

'This is a pretty cushy assignment; I get to sit around all day, waiting for you. I noticed a guy following me earlier today so I wasn't able to move around much. Anything about the stolen items, yet?'

'No' Neal said impatiently, 'they're really keeping me on a short leash and giving me crappy little assignments to see if I can be trusted. I really want to get moving on this. Today they had me pick up a package from a post office box. It had cash – about $500,000 in it. Maybe it was a test – whatever, they're still not ready to bring out the big ticket items.'

'Neal, you're doing great but you've got to be patient. It could take a few days before they tip their hand.'

'Well, tomorrow, they've got me bringing in a fence for some gold coins Mario Moretti had on him tonight. I think I'll bring Moz, what do you think?'

'Well, at least you'll have someone you trust to watch your back. By the way, Peter left this for me to pick up at the newsstand.'

'Today's paper?' said Neal

'Look inside, there's a special letter to the editor.'

Diana went into the other room and left Neal alone so he could read the letter from Sara.

_Dear Neal,_

_I was so relieved when I read your note today. I know we have to be careful but I miss you so much. I realize that my apartment doesn't feel like home anymore – my home is wherever you are. Work is ok but I'm really tired and I miss you being here to rub my feet like you usually do. I (we) can't wait to be with you so wrap up this case as fast as you can Caffrey but don't take any unnecessary chances, ok? Keep in touch; it helps to hear from you even if I can't be with you in person right now. _

_Love,_

_Sara _

_P.S. Yes, I am eating properly and taking my pre-natal vitamins and your little lemon misses you too, so hurry home._

Diana stepped back into the room as Neal folded the letter and handed it back to her. He had a goofy grin on his face.

'Can you make sure this is destroyed?' he asked. 'And can you just give me a few minutes to write another message back to Sara?'

'Take your time, Neal. It wouldn't look good for _me_ if you left after just half an hour!

'Or maybe it wouldn't look good for _me_!' said Neal

'I know you miss her. This will be over soon and you can get back to your life' she said.

'Can't be soon enough for me' he replied.


	5. Chapter 5

**Stolen art and stolen kisses**

**Chapter 5**

Elizabeth was sitting by the window of the Blue Fin restaurant looking out onto Broadway when she spotted Sara making her way up the street. She was so elegant, thought Elizabeth, the way she carried herself, the way she dressed and the way she walked. Sara had always been able to put up a good front even if she was unsure about something but lately, as she and Elizabeth became closer, she was showing her vulnerable side more often. Maybe it was the pregnancy or just the fact that Elizabeth was getting to know her better; either way, Sara was mellowing and Elizabeth liked the person she was discovering.

This undercover operation was really taking its toll on Sara, she knew. It was only six weeks ago that Sara, herself, had been brutally beaten during one of her routine recoveries just around the time she had found herself unexpectedly pregnant. She and Neal were doing great though, largely due to his enthusiasm for the new arrival. Now with Neal out of the picture for a few days, it was up to her and Peter to keep an eye on Sara and make sure she was taking care of herself.

Sara walked into the restaurant and spotted Elizabeth immediately, smiling as she walked towards their table.

'Hi Elizabeth, sorry to keep you waiting. My meeting ran a little longer than expected.'

'No problem' said El 'I don't have any other appointments today so I'm free as a bird. Hungry?'

'Actually, I am, for a change' answered Sara. 'After hardly being able to keep anything down for the better part of three months, it's nice to have my appetite back.'

'I have another note from Neal' Elizabeth smiled as she passed Sara an envelope.

'That's great. His first letter really helped me get through the day yesterday. It seems silly, but Neal and I are so connected, especially since I've gotten pregnant, that I feel like I'm missing a limb when he's not there. Does that make any sense?'

'It does. When Peter's away for whatever reason or if he's late coming home, I can't seem to settle until I hear his footsteps coming up the stairs. It's not easy, is it, with the jobs Peter and Neal have?' Elizabeth added.

'Neal and I have pretty much made peace with the danger inherent in our two jobs but I have to say that, being pregnant has changed everything. All of sudden, you have another little person to consider in every decision you make and you don't want to do anything foolish or dangerous.'

The waitress appeared to take their order and Sara opted for blackened cod and an iced tea. Neal would be pleased she was getting her protein. Elizabeth went with the scallop cevice and a glass of white wine. They ate and continued to chat about mundane things, fashion, their jobs and the fact that it was looking like their Saturday night get-together wasn't going to happen after all. It was Friday already and Neal didn't appear to be making much headway with the case.

Halfway through the meal, Sara mentioned she wasn't feeling very well. She began to look pale, became more and more distressed and was holding her stomach.

'I'll be right back' she finally said, heading to the ladies room.

As she stood, Elizabeth let out a gasp and Sara looked down to see blood on her chair. She held her abdomen and sat down again, trying not to panic.

'I'm calling for an ambulance, Sara' said Elizabeth 'Try to stay calm'

'Oh my God, I don't want to lose the baby' gasped Sara. 'I need Neal.'

Elizabeth was already on the phone to 911 and within minutes, the EMTs had arrived to take a look at Sara.

'We're going to take you in and have you looked at. Who is your doctor?'

'Dr. Joanne Cooper' said Sara, voice shaking.

'Sara, I'm going to follow you in the car and I'm going to call Peter. We'll be at the hospital when you get there. Try not to worry, ok? We're going to try to find Neal for you'

Sara nodded but was clearly not hearing Elizabeth. All she could think of was the fact that she needed Neal to be here and to make everything alright.

WCWCWCWCWCWC

'She what?' said Peter from his office at the Bureau.

'She's bleeding, Peter. The ambulance took her away. Can you meet me at Lenox Hill?'

'I have no way of finding Neal. He's gone dark – just like he was supposed to. We won't be in touch with him until he meets up with Diana later. I'll get Diana to try him now but he had a meet this afternoon and I doubt he'll take calls especially since the arrangement for tonight is already set.'

'Do what you can Peter, just hurry and meet me at the hospital'

Peter arrived first, just as the ambulance was pulling in. He saw the paramedics wheeling Sara in through the doors of the emergency room. El was right behind looking upset and totally unnerved.

'Hi honey' she said, totally by rote. 'I'm going to ask what's going on at the desk'

Peter was waiting for Diana to call back and pacing by the admissions desk.

'They'll tell us as soon as they know something' said El, walking up to him and taking his hand. Peter threw an arm around her shoulders and brought her in close to him. How did things go south so fast, thought Elizabeth, Sara was fine just before lunch.

They'd been sitting for a good half hour when Peter's phone started to vibrate.

'Diana, tell me you found him' he all but shouted into the phone.

'Sorry boss, he's not answering. He had a meet this afternoon and last night when he left, we had already arranged for him to come and meet me around seven so he wouldn't be waiting for a call from me today.'

'Where are you?

'I'm at the Library Hotel. I'll keep trying' she answered.

They were interrupted by a pretty, older woman in scrubs. Dr. Cooper had been Sara's OB-GYN for over ten years and was well aware of her circumstance.

'Did you bring Sara Ellis in?'

'Yes' Peter and Elizabeth said in unison. 'We're Peter and Elizabeth Burke, friends of Neal and Sara's' added Elizabeth.

'Follow me please' she said as she led them to a private room down the hallway from where they stood.

'Sara has had what we call a placental abruption. It happens often, usually in the first twelve weeks or so of pregnancy. Sara is in week 13 so it is a little late but sometimes it does happens in the beginning of the second trimester. Bleeding occurs when the placenta detaches itself from the uterine wall. It is a common occurrence. We just need to do an ultrasound to make sure everything is ok and then I'll be back to talk to Sara, and to you about what to do next. You can go in to see her, if you like. Valerie' she said, speaking to the nurse who was nearby, 'can you take Mr. and Mrs. Burke in to see Ms Ellis in examination room 3B?'

When Peter and Elizabeth walked into the cubicle, they noticed that Sara was looking much better. She had gotten some color back in her cheeks and although her eyes were red, she had stopped crying for the moment.

'Dr. Cooper says it's not unusual and that it doesn't mean I'm losing the baby' she said with a shaky voice. 'They're going to do an ultrasound. Have you found Neal?'

'I'm sorry Sara. We're trying. But Neal is doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing. Laying low and concentrating on his cover so no harm will come to him.'

She started to cry again. 'I'm scared, Peter. I need to see him.'

'Let me see what I can do' he said.

Elizabeth stayed by her side, holding her hand and comforting Sara while Peter left the room. On his way out, he came across a technician, who was rolling in a machine, which he assumed was the ultrasound, into Sara's cubicle.

'Diana' he said into his phone. 'I need you to get two communicating rooms at the hotel. I have an idea.'

The ultrasound showed a nice strong heartbeat and after reassuring Sara that the baby was fine, Dr. Cooper instructed her to try to stay off her feet for the next few days and to rest as much as possible. She wanted to see her in her office in a week.

Neal had spent the day doing the Moretti family's bidding and there was still no sign of any of the many pieces that had been stolen in Chicago. He had been hauled in by the young Moretti to meet some of the more senior members of the family and they were insisting that he eat with them so they could get to know him. After all, if Steve Tabernacle was to be privy to the millions of dollars worth of art they intended to fence, he needed to prove he was worthy of their trust. They needed Steve and his knowledge of the fencing scene in New York if they were going to sell some of these pieces quickly. Neal settled in for a long interrogation and thought ahead to his meet with Diana at 7:00. It didn't look like he was going to have much to report, once again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Stolen art and stolen kisses**

**Chapter 6**

Neal arrived at the Library Hotel, as arranged at 7:00 p.m. As had happened the two previous nights, he was followed into the hotel by a shadow, compliments of the Moretti family.

Contrary to the other nights, however, Diana met him in the lobby. She walked up to him and kissed him gently on the mouth in plain view of Neal's tail, took his hand and led him to the elevators. Neal smiled as any man would at having his lovely girlfriend show him such a public display of affection. He began to tease Diana in the elevator as they went up to the 12th floor but he could see she was in no mood to laugh. She put a finger to her lips indicating that he should wait until they reached the room.

When they entered, Neal was shocked to see Peter standing in the room waiting for him.

'What's going on? Is there something wrong?' All of a sudden, a little light went on. 'Is it Sara? Did something happen?'

'Sit down Neal' said Peter

'No, tell me now Peter' he said standing terribly still.

'Neal, there was a situation today, but Sara's fine now'

'I want to see her. What happened? Is it the baby? Is the baby alright?'

'Neal, Neal, stop. Just listen. She ended up in emergency and...

'Emergency? I want to see her. Where is she?' He had his hand on the doorknob ready to run out of the room.

'Neal, stop. She's here, at the hotel.'

'What? What do you mean here?'

'She's in the next room, behind the connecting door'

Neal turned suddenly and pulled the door to the connecting room wide open. He saw Sara sitting up on the bed and Elizabeth by her side holding her hand.

When Sara saw him, she began to laugh and cry uncontrollably at the same time. He ran to the bed and grabbed her in one swift movement, pulling her to him and calling her name.

He held her tight for a few seconds before pulling away to look into her eyes.

'What is it, Sara? Is it the baby?'

'The baby's fine, Neal. I had some bleeding...'

'Bleeding!'

'Listen, please Neal. I'll explain it to you.' said Sara locking eyes with him, willing him to slow down and pay attention.

Elizabeth was standing up. 'I'll leave you two to it she said as she moved to stand next to Peter.

'Neal, I need you to listen for one more minute... please' said Peter

Neal looked up at him but was still holding Sara tightly in his arms.

'El and I are leaving by the back door but Diana is going to stay next door in case you need anything or in case your persistent shadow decides to make an appearance. Neal, we've arranged for you to have this room. You can stay the night – I'm sure the Morettis will understand that Steve wanted to spend the whole night with his girlfriend but tomorrow, before you leave, you need to have a serious talk with Diana and let her know if you are up to finishing this assignment. That is up to you. Do you understand?'

'Yeah, yeah' said Neal distractedly, 'I understand. I don't know what's going on yet but for some reason I think Sara and I should be thanking you for this little reunion.'

Peter smiled in response, visibly touched by the scene he was witnessing.

'Good night, sweetie' said Elizabeth as she bent over to kiss Sara on the head 'Get some rest and call me tomorrow morning and I'll come and get you and take you home, ok?'

'Thanks for everything, both of you' said Sara, still shaky but visibly relieved to have Neal close by.

The door closed and Neal turned his full attention to Sara with a look of worry and anticipation. She took his face in her hands to re-establish contact and to bring his anxiety down a notch.

'So, tell me everything' he said, kissing her.

'I was having lunch with Elizabeth today. She'd just handed me your note and suddenly I started to feel strange; my stomach hurt and it was getting worse so I got up to go to the washroom and when I stood up there was blood all over the chair.'

'Oh, my God' said Neal staring into her eyes.

'The baby's ok, Neal but I have this thing called placental...

'Abruption...' Neal finished to her surprise.

'...abruption' finished Sara 'You really have been reading everything on the internet haven't you? Well, if you read about it, you know that it happens often in the first twelve weeks or so of pregnancy. It's when the placenta detaches itself from the uterine wall and it causes some bleeding. But they did an ultrasound and the baby is fine, the heartbeat strong. I just need to stay off my feet for a few days and rest and it should reattach by itself. Dr. Cooper wants to see me next week.'

'Oh, Sara, I'm so sorry I wasn't there with you when this happened.'

'Neal, you could have been anywhere, you can't stop yourself from working and going about your business because I'm pregnant.'

'I know, but I was unreachable...'

'That's the nature of your job, Neal, and I accept that. Yes, I was really upset and I really wanted you with me but I don't blame you or your job. It's just the way it is. I guess afterwards, I was still in shock and with being alone in my apartment and everything; Peter concocted this plan so we could have our own little clandestine rendez-vous.'

'Leave it to Peter' said Neal who seemed to have started breathing again. 'So, how do you feel now?'

'Tired, relieved, happy to see you' she smiled and her eyes twinkled.

He reached down to touch her belly. 'And little Boo-boo is okay?'

'And little Boo-boo is ok' she repeated. 'Tell me about the case.'

'How about I ask Diana to join us for a minute and I can tell both of you at the same time?'

'Sure' she said

Diana sat in the chair by the bed while Neal told of how he had been coerced into spending most of the day with this extended mob family while they were deciding if they could trust him to carry out the extensive fencing operation of their ill-gotten goods. He was confident he had passed the test but the next 24 hours would be critical to maintain his cover and continue to gain credibility in their eyes. Once they brought out items from the museum heist, they would have proof of culpability and could move in for the arrest.

'Do you feel you can carry on with this, Neal? Or is it all too much?' asked Diana, as she surveyed the two of them on the bed. They had not let go of each other the whole time Neal had been talking.

'Can we talk about that in the morning, Diana? I'd like to discuss it with Sara before I make a decision' said Neal

'No problem. I'm here all night, as you know – but contrary to you two lovebirds, I will be playing solitaire and watching the movie of the week so... if you need anything, just knock, ok?'

They thanked her and she retreated to her room giving them the privacy they needed.

As they lay, holding each other, Neal and Sara shared the events of the last few days and talked about the coming week when they would be reunited and Sara could move back home where she belonged. The thought of resuming their lives made them both smile and they made plans for Neal to come with Sara to the doctor's appointment.

'Oh, I almost forgot' said Sara as she turned to grab her purse by the bed 'new ultrasound!'

They lay together and looked at the picture for a long time and the promise of the future looked much brighter for both of them. As she returned the picture to her bag, she noticed the note that had come from Neal. With all the commotion, she had never had a chance to read it. She pulled it out, smiling slyly at Neal and she began to read it out loud.

_Hey Sara,_

_Day three and we're still apart. I'm lying here thinking of you and if I close my eyes, I can almost feel you next to me. The way your body fits just right against mine. It won't be long and I'll be home and I expect to hold you ALL NIGHT on my first night back because I will not be letting go. Please hang in there, I know it's hard. If anything, this time apart has convinced me that there is no one else I would ever want to be with and that you and Boo-boo make me blissfully happy._

_As you go to sleep tonight, think of me telling you how much I love you and then drift away and I will do the same. It will be as if we are together._

_Talk to you tomorrow – give me some news!_

_Love, Neal_

'Wow' she said, 'great letter, you are quite the romantic, Caffrey'

He looked away, demurely. He certainly hadn't expected to be stealing any kisses from Sara while he was on his assignment so he wanted to take full advantage of having her next to him. He turned and kissed her deeply and took a breath and looked down at her 'How far am I allowed to go with this?' he asked with that unmistakable twinkle in his eyes.

'Not very, unfortunately, no sex until I see Dr. Cooper next week.'

'OK' he did look slightly disappointed but recovered quickly 'I can live with that. Cuddling allowed?'

'Lots of cuddling' she responded as she melted in his arms.

The next morning, they both rose refreshed and happy and Diana had ordered some food for all of them. They sat, all three, eating and talking and Neal finally got to the point:

'Sara and I have discussed it and I've decided to go ahead and finish this operation. I'm close and now that we've been able to spend some time together, I'm feeling more centered. I know I can do this.'

'Are you sure?' Diana looked carefully for any sign of uncertainty on his part but she did not see any – was this the Caffrey mask?

'100%' he answered. Let's get this show on the road so I can get back to my life by the end of the day'

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Stolen art and stolen kisses**

**Chapter 7**

_This is the last chapter in this story. Hope you had fun reading it._

Peter winced as he took a sip of coffee. Why was it, that no matter how good the quality, coffee always tasted bad in the van?

They had ears on Neal who, at the moment, was on his way to what everyone hoped would be the last meet with the Moretti clan and he had Mozzie in tow.

Earlier that morning, back at the Library Hotel, Diana and Neal had discussed strategy.

'Good morning' said Diana as the door between the two connecting rooms opened. Neal was standing there looking much better than he had in days and Sara was peeking in behind him looking into Diana's room. Diana had ordered breakfast for all of them and they sat around the table in her room discussing the eventual take-down.

Peter had decided that it was worth the gamble to put a transmitter on Neal for this, what he hoped would be the last day of the operation. The Moretti family had already thoroughly investigated 'Steve' and Peter felt that the risk of being caught with a transmitter was minimal. If they couldn't get ears on Neal during the discussion and eventual transaction, they would not be able to pinpoint the right time to make the bust.

Diana handed Neal the watch and he put it on smiling. 'I think this is it' he said 'I think they're ready to spill the beans and start fencing the good stuff.'

'Neal, whatever you do, don't let your guard down' Diana warned 'these are not our usual white collar criminals. If anything sets them off, they could turn violent'

Neal glared at Diana as he gave a sideways glance towards Sara. With everything else that was happening, the last thing she needed to hear was that Neal was in mortal danger.

He tried to bring the drama down a notch: 'With my charm and Steve's reputation, there's nothing to worry about. I'll be careful' he said mostly for Sara's benefit.

Sara gave him a worried look and he squeezed her hand to reassure her.

There was a knock at the door. Neal and Diana looked at each other. There wouldn't be any reason for Moretti's men to be checking up on them now, but just in case, Neal motioned to Sara to go back into their room and he closed the door behind her. If Moretti was having doubts about Steve's nocturnal activities, it wouldn't do for Neal to be found with two women in the hotel room.

He opened the door casually and found Elizabeth standing there.

'Come on in, it's ok Sara, it's Elizabeth.' He called out opening the door once more.

'Good morning everyone' said Elizabeth 'I've come to collect our little mother-to-be. How did you two sleep?' she asked Neal and Sara.

'Great!' said Sara. 'Thank you so much for arranging this. It made all the difference in the world to be able to spend some time together.'

'Yeah, thanks El. I'm feeling so much better having seen Sara with my own eyes and knowing that she's ok' added Neal.

'Well, it's our pleasure' answered Elizabeth. 'We had better get you out of here, Sara. You know what the doctor said – you need to stay off your feet and not over-exert yourself. I was thinking you could come over to our place and we could spend the day together waiting for all this to play out.'

Neal smiled at her, thankful that they had Peter and Elizabeth to watch over the two – um three of them.

Sara pulled Neal aside into the next room for a moment to say goodbye.

'You promise me you'll be extra careful, Neal?' she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

'Hey, hey, there's no need for that' said Neal. 'I'm going to be fine and I'll be back before you know it'

'I'm going to hold you to that' she said 'I love you, Caffrey'

'I love you too; remember your job today is to take care of Boo-boo'

She smiled. As much as she hated the nickname, coming from Neal it was very sweet and she knew it was just an attempt at making her smile.

He kissed her on the lips, slow and long and waited for Sara to be the first to pull away.

WCWCWCWCWCWCWC

'Moz, I'm telling you, it's ok' said Neal, reassuringly 'No one's going to pull a gun on you.'

'That's easy for you to say' answered Mozzie 'You're used to this undercover stuff. I'm a delicate creature, you know'

Neal gave him his best exasperated look and kept walking. They were on the way to what he hoped was the final meet with the Moretti family. Mario Moretti had called and said that the family had a large number of items it needed to have fenced. Neal had memorized the list of all the stolen items from the Chicago heist and he was more than ready to move when one of them was brought out into the open.

The code phrase that had been agreed upon was '_That is a beauty'_. It was to be used when Neal recognized one of the items the Morettis showed them.

The municipal van was about a block away and Neal and Mozzie passed it on the way to the meet. As they walked by, Neal spoke into his watch, strictly for Peter's benefit: 'The van needs a good wash!' he said.

They walked into the deserted building where the meeting was to take place and went up a flight of stairs to the room where he had met Mario three days ago. As soon as they entered, Neal noticed that the whole damn clan had assembled. There was Mario, of course, his cousin, Bruno, Edmondo (Bruno's father) and Benedetto (Mario's father). Also sitting in a chair off to one side by a large desk was Adriano, the grandfather who pulled all the strings. He noticed what appeared to be about a dozen paintings leaning against the wall but couldn't make out any of them. There were also a number of boxes that could be holding some of the smaller pieces from the Chicago heist.

In various corners of the large room, there were a total of four armed thugs who were the muscle for the family. He realized that timing was going to be critical. If the FBI team gave too much notice of its arrival, guns would be drawn and he and Mozzie would be immediately suspected as snitches and become targets.

He tried to position himself near a half wall that was off to one side, thinking he and Mozzie could duck behind it if need be.

'So, right on time' said Mario. 'Steve, you obviously know the market here. Grandfather was very pleased with the price we got on those gold pieces. We have a collection of art we want to move and we want to start with this piece. He motioned to a painting against the wall and Bruno brought it over to where Neal and Mozzie were standing.

Neal immediately recognized it as 'Still Life With Peppers' a piece by Eduardo Alonso Casellas. It had been part of the collection at the Chicago museum.

Game on.

'That is a beauty' said Neal loud and clear. He motioned Mozzie to move slightly behind him and continued to examine the piece so as not to set off any alarm bells. He desperately hoped that the team would be coming up the stairs quietly and that he and Mozzie would have time to get out of the line of fire.

Suddenly, he heard it: 'FBI, everybody freeze'.

But the muscle reacted quickly and shot off a couple of rounds in the direction of the door. Neal pushed Mozzie behind the half wall and threw himself over him but as he flew in the air, he felt a flash of pain in his shoulder.

The feds were quick to restore order and by their sheer number were able to overtake the whole clan and its muscle easily.

Peter, as always concerned for his CI, made his way into the room looking for Neal and Mozzie.

He could hear grumbling (Mozzie) and moaning (Neal) coming from the corner of the room.

'Get off me, Neal' he could hear Mozzie saying.

'Sorry Moz, if I'm bleeding on you…' Neal said sarcastically.

Peter started to help them up, examining Neal to assess the extent of his injury. A bullet had grazed the top of his shoulder and he was bleeding, although not terribly much.

'You ok?' he asked.

'Yeah, yeah, fine. Thank God you were quiet coming in. The damage could have been a lot worse'

'Let's get you checked out' said Peter as he led Neal and Mozzie out of the room.

WCWCWCWCWCWC

'Hi, hon' said Peter into his phone once they were in the emergency room.

'Hi, hon' responded Elizabeth 'did you get them?'

'We did and it's all good. Is Sara within earshot' he asked

'She's just in the other room, why?'

'Don't let on in front of her but Neal got a flesh wound in the shoulder during the take-down.'

'Ok' she said calmly not wanting to sound upset as Sara came into the kitchen.

'He's fine, really. They are bandaging him up right now. Neal doesn't want us to tell Sara until we get back which should be within an hour or so. He doesn't want her running down here in her condition so I just wanted you to know so you wouldn't be surprised' said Peter.

'Sounds great, honey. Sara and I are getting dinner started – it looks like we're going to have our dinner and movie night after all' she said sounding casual.

'Good job El! See you in a little while' Peter responded.

The drive back in the car was quiet as both Peter and Neal started to come down from the high of the take-down. There was always that let down after it was all over and the adrenaline rush gave way to weariness and fatigue.

'How bad does it hurt?' asked Peter

'Nowhere near as much as my leg hurt in Cape Verde' Neal volunteered. 'I'm just glad this one's over. I hate leaving Sara alone ever since she's gotten pregnant. I know she can take care of herself but I've turned into this father hen. It kinda takes over every other instinct. Its... strange'

'Well, it is a huge responsibility and for what it's worth, I think you're handling it great' said Peter looking over at his partner with a smile.

'Sara makes it easy' said Neal

They arrived at the Burkes and the ladies were anxiously waiting for them by the door. Despite his best effort, Neal couldn't hide his injury when Sara approached him with a big two armed hug as he walked through the door.

'Oh, my God, you're hurt Neal. What happened?' she said full of concern.

'Just a flesh wound, ma'am' Neal answered in his best John Wayne imitation. 'Really, it's nothing, just a graze'

'He's telling the truth' added Peter.

The foursome was happy to have arrived at the end of a busy week complete with two visits to the emergency room and a little more excitement than any of them had bargained for. They decided to eat dinner in front of the television watching a chick flick and frankly neither Peter nor Neal minded the choice of movie after all the exhilaration of the last few days. Sara had first dibs on the couch so that she could lie down (doctor's orders) and Neal sat at one end rubbing her feet. Peter and Elizabeth curled up on the love seat looking very cozy.

When Sara and Neal found themselves alone at last and back at June's, Neal made good on his promise to hold Sara all night long although they did have to change sides of the bed so he could use his good arm to keep Sara close.

Neither of them complained.

La fin


End file.
